


Concern

by Rin_the_Shadow



Series: To Turn Spark [10]
Category: Transformers (Unicron Trilogy), Transformers: Armada
Genre: AU to Transformers Armada, Alternate Continuity, Friends Looking Out For Each Other, Friendship, Gen, Maybe - Freeform, Organization, Rad is a good bro, basically a platonic 'if you do anything to hurt her', but not really a threat, just in his own way, robot-human friendships, starscream is also a good bro, though this one is less blatantly AU compared to some of my others
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-23 02:52:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17072111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rin_the_Shadow/pseuds/Rin_the_Shadow
Summary: A little after the Mars mission, Rad still has some concerns about some things that went down. He figures it's better to find Starscream and explain now than to let things blow up later.





	Concern

Things seemed to have mostly patched up between them since the Mars mission, but that didn’t mean everything was okay. After all, it had happened before. They’d argue, she’d storm off, he’d shut down. Some variation of that. Sometime later, she’d be back at it like nothing happened. And of course, things usually _did_ get better after that. It happened less often now, but it never stopped upsetting her when it did.

Rad understood he wasn’t actively _trying_ to hurt her. It was just that whatever’d happened to the guy up until he was abandoned had left some pretty decent marks. He hadn’t asked about it himself, but some of what Alexis had said gave him some idea.

He hadn’t known about having medics run your repairs, let alone waiting for recovery. He didn’t get small talk, and couldn’t tell the difference between that and prying. He didn’t like being pitied, and she was pretty sure he couldn’t tell the difference between that and checking up on you just because. But she thought it was getting better. He’d actually _explained_ that he didn’t like something instead of bolting not too long ago.

And Rad had to admit, he’d noticed some of what she’d said. Heck, the fact that they’d been able to carry on _any_ kind of interaction even once (let alone multiple times) had to mean something. But things weren’t going to get better as fast as Alexis seemed to think they would, and that was what worried him.

That was also why, right now, while Alexis was still preoccupied with something, (she hadn’t said what) Rad was looking for a very moody red and white ex-Decepticon. He’d finally found him in the communications room, poring over a series of metallic file-looking things and then entering things into what looked like a logbook on the computer.

There was a part of Rad that wondered what exactly was in those files. Communication logs? Warp coordinates? He wasn’t sure. Then again, maybe instead of putting things into the computer file, he was taking them off and putting them into the smaller files? There was still a lot Rad didn’t understand about Autobot tech, and when he was honest, that was really more of Alexis’s thing than his. For Rad, it was a lot easier to calm a scared Mini-Con than decode a string of data or sort a bunch of files.

But apparently he’d been staring, because Starscream paused. Seeing his reflection in the screen, he spoke. “Yes? Are you looking for something?”

Rad swallowed. Gosh, how did Alexis do this? “Actually, I was looking for you. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

He didn’t turn around, but Rad heard the sigh as he sat down the file. “Don’t you have human friends you can bug with this kind of thing? Or…Autobots?”

Oh, great. “Well, actually, I can’t talk to Alexis about this kind of thing because…it’s kind of about her.”

Starscream shifted, not enough to turn, but enough to shoot him a glare in the screen’s reflection. “I’m not helping you. I’ve survived this long without getting tangled up in anyone’s romantic endeavors, and I have no intention of changing that.”

“ _What?_ No! That's not what I meant _at all!_ ” Rad sputtered, earning an unexpected grin from Starscream, who quickly ducked his head as if his helm would shadow it from view. They’d gotten that a lot from other kids at school when they’d kept hanging out as they got older, at least until Carlos joined the group. And now _this guy_ was giving it to him, too? “Sheesh!”

The ex-Decepticon retained his smirk, but there was some note in it that suggested one way or another, he knew a thing or two about being on Rad’s end of this.

Rad regained his composure. “It’s actually about you and Alexis.” Starscream frowned and started to open his mouth, but Rad held up a hand to signal he wasn’t finished. “It’s not…anything like what you thought earlier. I’m not thinking that. It’s just…”

He paused, unsure of how to phrase it now that he thought about it. “Well, it’s just I’ve known her since we were in kindergarten,” he started. “A kind of human school for little kids,” he added as an afterthought. Starscream might not know what a kindergarten was, after all. “For the longest time, it was just her and me, y’know? Believe it or not, it took her awhile to warm up to Carlos, and well,” he shrugged. “You’ve seen how she’s doing with Fred and Billy.” She was trying, and she’d argued about the way Billy’d treated Fred before, but they still annoyed her a lot of the time.

“I have seen it.” There was a guarded edge to Starscream’s voice. Rad could only guess what it was over.

“But my point is, she’s not that interested in branching out most of the time. Honestly, you and the Mini-Cons are the first time she’s tried in years." At least, without someone else telling her she should. "And I just…I worry about her, you know?”

There was a twist of a wrist as Starscream watched his reflection in the computer screen, so small a gesture Rad almost missed it. He’d snapped it back into place as soon as he noticed Rad had seen it. Huh. What was that about?

“I don’t see why it’s any of your business to be telling me things which she didn’t want to disclose herself,” he finally spoke. “Still, I…see your concern.” There was a harsh edge to his tone which dissolved into almost a quizzical one.

“Haven’t you had that kind of thing with anyone? Friends you got worried about or...?” Rad asked, feeling like he was missing something crucial.

“I don’t need—” he started to snap. Then he paused, shaking his head. “I need to get back to work.”

Rad had learned, partly from word-of-Alexis and partly from experience, that there were many ways to say you needed to be alone. “Right, sure,” he replied. “Take care.” He waved and walked away, just in time to see him pause and glance over his shoulder where the boy had been. Had he looked surprised just then? What about?

* * *

 

Well, it hadn’t gone quite how he expected. But then again, Starscream seemed to be looking out for Alexis, too. Not that it stopped him from worrying, but at least it was something.

“Hey, Rad!” As he rounded the corner, he nearly ran into her. Well, speak of the devil…metaphorically, of course.

He smiled. “Hey, Alexis. So what were you up to this afternoon?”

She grinned, then put on an air of mock secrecy and imperiousness, crossing her arms and looking down the bridge of her nose. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Guess so,” he shrugged.

“Anyway,” she continued, dropping the pose. “What’ve you guys been up to?”

A momentary surprise hit him, and then Rad blew it out with a laugh. He guessed he should’ve expected she’d find out sooner rather than later. If it wasn’t from him, she’d hear it in the form of a Starscream rant, probably.

Her brow scrunched in confusion. “What’s so funny?”

Best to start at the beginning. “Well, actually…”

**Author's Note:**

> This one's actually been floating around in my document for awhile, though I'd been planning to write it almost since I wrote Rad's first scene in the Mars fic. Flipping titles, man.
> 
> I had wanted to play around with how some of the humans besides Alexis interact with the 'bots, even if it came up in a conversation about her, and since Rad tends to act as a mediator between the kids and the Minicons, or the Minicons and other 'bots, he seemed like a good bet.
> 
> I'd like to do something with Carlos sometime as well, though I'd like to get a better grasp on his character first.


End file.
